Cajun women to take on Savannah State

Gameday Story Lines

• The Ragin' Cajuns (5-5) dropped a heart-breaking 63-61 contest to Bethune-Cookman on Monday evening when Jasmine Elum hit a last-second layup.
• Mercedes Johnson was the only Ragin' Cajuns player to reach double digits, scoring 14 points and six rebounds. Kemi Rotibi followed up with eight points and 10 rebounds.
• All five of the Ragin' Cajuns' victories this season have come when UL has shot better than 40 percent from the field, while all five losses have come when UL shoots 40 percent or less. UL has shot more than 50 percent in three of their five wins this season.
• Johnson leads UL with 13.7 points per game, while Jasmine Barnes follows with 10.4 points per contest.
• Barnes also leads the Cajuns in rebounds per game (5.5). Danyell Oliver is tallying 8.9 ppg with a team-best 12 three pointers.
• Lyndra Bell has 8.8 points per game, while shooting 49.3 percent (37x75) in 10 contests

All-Time Series with Savannah State: Louisiana leads the series, 6-2
Last Meeting: UL 53, SSU 35 • 1/9/2010 • Tiger Arena • Savannah, Ga.

•  Louisiana is meeting Savannah State (4-5, 0-2 MEAC) for the ninth consecutive year.
• UL leads 6-2 in a series that began in 2002.
• Last season, Louisiana defeated the Lady Tigers, 53-35, at Tiger Arena. Johnson scored 17 points and reeled in seven boards to lead the Cajuns.  

 Scouting the Lady Tigers 

• Savannah State (4-5, 0-2 MEAC) has dropped two out of their last three contests, but picked up their first road win of the season with a 57-45 victory over Alabama State on Tuesday, Dec. 14. Ezinne Kalu led the way for Savannah State with 21 points, 8 rebounds and 5 assists.
• Darice Fountaine leads SSU in scoring averaging 15.7 points per game and with 6.8 rebounnds per contest. Kalu is also averaging double-figures, posting 14.0 points per game.
• Coach Cedric Baker's squad is shooting 35.5 percent (42x113) from the field and averaging 34.2 rebounds per game in nine contests played this season.
• Savannah State ranks 32nd nationally in three point field goal percentage averaging 37.2 and 41st in scoring defense holding teams to 53.9 points per game.  

Notes and Trends

WHERE THEY RANK

• Louisiana ranks first in the Sun Belt and 70th nationally in scoring offense, averaging 69.5 points per game in nine contests this year.
• The squad is second in the league and 40th in the nation in field goal percentage at 43.8 (256x585).
• Kemi Rotibi leads the Sun Belt with 17 total blocked shots for an average of 1.7 per game.
• Mercedes Johnson is 11th in the Sun Belt, averaging 13.7 points per game. 
• Senior Jasmine Barnes ranks fifth in the league in field goal percentage, connecting on 53.2 percent of her shots (42x79).

 QUICK HITTERS

• In Louisiana's five wins this season, the team is shooting an average of 51.5 per contest (156x303) from the field, grabbing an average of 37.6 rebounds and forcing an average of 23.2 turnovers per game.
• Junior Kemi Rotibi's defensive presence can be felt under the glass. In just 10 games this year, Rotibi has swatted away 17 shots, passing Amy Richard's team-leading total of 16 last season. Rotibi notched eight points and 10 rebounds against Bethune-Cookman on Monday, Dec. 13.
• Rotibi became the first UL player to record five blocks in a contest since Kina Miller did so at Florida Atlantic on Jan. 25, 2007.
• Danyell Oliver leads UL with 12 made three-pointers this season, averaging 8.9 points per game. Oliver also leads the Cajuns from the charity stripe, making 84 percent (21x25) from the line.
• The Cajuns are averaging 21.9 forced turnovers per game this season. UL forced 30 turnovers in the 67-57 win over Southeastern Louisiana on Dec. 5. It was the most turnovers forced by the Cajuns in the last seven years.

 MERCEDES CONTINUES HER SCORING WAYS

• Mercedes Johnson leads the team in points per game (13.7). She is second on the team in rebounds (5.0 rpg). 
• Johnson is just seven made free throws away from moving into fifth all-time for made free throws in a career at UL. The Houston native passed DeLesha Qualls's (1998-02) mark of 217 and Shaunda Johnson-Bedel's (1986-91) 220 career freebies on Sunday, Dec. 12 with five made free throws at Centenary.

 'JAS'-ING IT UP

• Senior Jasmine Barnes continues to contribute in a major way this season. The Baton Rouge native is averaging 10.4 points per game and leads the squad with 55 total rebounds for 5.5 rebounds per game through 10 contests. 
•  She is shooting a team-high 53.2 percent from the floor (42x79). Barnes has tallied a team-best six double-digit games this season, including 21 at Centenary on Dec. 12.

 BELL HAVING STRONG SENIOR SEASON

• Lyndra Bell is off to a career-best start during her senior campaign. The Lafayette native tied a career-high 18 points in UL's win over SLU. She then followed up that performance with 17 points and a career-high five steals at Centenary on Dec. 12. 
• Bell is averaging 8.8 points per game with 3.6 rebounds per contest. She is second on the team in field goal percentage, shooting 49.3 percent (37x75) in 10 contests. 

COMPARABLY BETTER

• This year, the Cajuns have connected on 43.8 percent (256x585) of their shots from the floor compared to 36.6 percent (227x621) at this point a year ago. Through 10 games, UL is 5-5 this season, compared to 3-7 a year ago.